The WPA Guides To The States

by Valerie Jean Kramer

From 1935 to 1942, the WPA (Works Progress Administration),
through it's Federal Writers' Project created a series of books
that captured the country in print. Forty-Eight state guides plus
territorial guide books, city guides, etc. form a wonderful resource
for learning about our country. Although there have been many
changes in the last 50 years, some things remain the same and
the rest takes you on a delightfully nostalgic tour of a simpler
world. (Fussy nit-picking note: Although the WPA may have begun
in 1935, the first state Guide, Idaho, wasn't released until Jan.
15, 1937. The last state Guide, Oklahoma, was first announced
in Publisher's Weekly on Jan. 3, 1942. The "State Guides"
include the 48 states that existed at the time, plus Washington
D.C., Alaska, Puerto Rico, and New York City, but not Hawaii.)

Each book is divided into a series of sections on such things
as the natural setting, history, agriculture, industry, transportation,
culture, education, religion, fine arts, media, etc. Each major
city has a chapter of its own. Finally, my favorite part, about
half of each book is devoted to a series of "tours"
of the state. Each tour follows a particular road and describes
what one sees as one travels from one edge of the state to the
other giving explicit directions and mileages. For those interested
in the history and archealogy of our recent past, these tours
are fascinating! I've followed a number of these tours and have
found many sections of road that have been bypassed by more modern
higher speed highways. In many cases the old road is still present
and the interesting sights or their remnants still exist if one
has the guide to find them and the wisdom to seek them out.

I first became aware of the WPA Guides when I read "Travels
With Charley" by John Steinbeck. In it he travels around
the country in a truck with a camper on the back and his dog,
Charley. (Today it seems like half the population is on the road
in campers and RV's but when Steinbeck did it, it was an unusual
feat.) In any event, at one point he wished that he had his books
with him so he could look up some item of interest. He told just
a bit about them. Thus sensitized to something interesting, I
soon found, and bought, my first WPA Guide book, The Ohio Guide,
since I was living in Ohio at the time. Later as I moved, I continued
to buy the guides for the states in which I found myself and then
for surrounding states that I might want to visit. Eventually
it became "a collection" and, perhaps, an obsession.

I've enjoyed owning, reading, and using these books now for
over 30 years. The first one I bought cost me about $6. Today
many of them can be found for $10-50 depending on condition, and
rarity. Most of them have been printed several times and many
have been thru several revisions as well. Some have even been
made current and can still be bought as a new book including Missouri,
Kansas, and Kentucky. On the other hand, only about 3,000 copies
of the North Dakota Guide were made in the first printing and
the printer broke up the type after the print run! Try sites such
as these:

or your local bookseller to locate current titles. Of course, the die-hard collector
wants a perfect condition, 1st edition for each state. While that
might be nice, it would also be bloody expensive! Don't let that
discourage you though. I've always found that I can enjoy a battered
second edition, third printing, or a used library discard just
as much and not have to worry about damaging it while reading
it or taking it on a trip with me.

On one visit to my local used book store I met Arthur Scharf
who lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the time. He was the
"national clearinghouse" for anything related t the
WPA Guides. He bought and sold books and knew just about everything
there was to know about them. He has since passed on but his job
is still being done by

Well, I've got loads more I'd like to share about these books
but today isn't the day to write it all down, I'm afraid. So,
here are a few of the book covers to whet your appetite for future
additions to this site. I apologize for the lack of quality. I
have upgraded the scanner and will do a better job next time.
Also be sure to visit the linked sites given below.

The
Federal Writers' Project (http://www-personal.umich.edu/~pscarter/fwp.html)
Petra Schindler Carter has written a dissertation on the WPA books
and has a nice site with many more links to other relevant sites.

American Life
Histories (http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/wpaintro/) Library
of Congress, manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1940.
Gives lots of background on the American Guide and other projects.

The New Deal Network
(http://newdeal.feri.org/) Go to the "Document Library",
search under Subject, "American Guide Series" shows
Minnesota and Tennessee. A bit of clicking led me to some extensive
sections of the Tennessee Guide.